Mountain bikers go wild

OREGON

Environmentalists hoping to create a 37,000-acre Badlands
Wilderness Area about 20 miles east of Bend, Ore., got a tremendous
boost in February, when the local mountain bike group endorsed the
proposal.

Because bicycles are banned from wilderness
areas, many mountain bikers are lukewarm, at best, about proposals
to create more wilderness. But the biker-run Central Oregon Trail
Alliance worked with environmentalists in the Oregon Natural Desert
Association to customize the wilderness proposal, says Phil
Meglasson, a biker who was among the first to develop trails around
Bend. That meant dropping from the proposal one small section of
trail that is popular among cyclists.

"We need the
wilderness because a lot of places in Bend are becoming overused,"
says Meglasson, a member of the trails alliance. "Even though we
get cut out of the wilderness, mountain bikers support this
proposal."

Opposition continues among off-highway vehicle
users, but Bill Marlett, executive director of the Oregon Natural
Desert Association, says the bikers' endorsement underscores the
widespread support of the proposal. "This is something the (Bureau
of Land Management) will have to listen to," he says.

Even with growing support, however, Oregon's congressional
representatives are hesitant to introduce a Badlands wilderness
bill. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has expressed interest in the area,
but has not committed to pursuing legislation. Environmentalists
say they will maintain pressure on lawmakers — for years, if
necessary — to convince them to create the Badlands
wilderness.